Conventional examples of a mechanical pencil configured to prevent a pencil lead from breaking by excessive writing pressure or the like include an invention described in PTL 1. According to the conventional invention, there are provided: a shaft tube; an approximately tubular holder which is inserted into a front side opening portion of the shaft tube and which protrudes forward from a front end of the shaft tube; and a pencil lead which is inserted into the holder and which protrudes forward, wherein movement direction converting means which causes the holder to go forward by using a force applied in a radial direction to the holder is provided between the shaft tube and the holder, and a pencil lead urge member is provided inside the shaft tube so as to urge a chuck clipping the pencil lead forward relative to the shaft tube.
According to the mechanical pencil, when a force is applied in a radial direction by writing pressure or the like to a part of the pencil lead protruding from the holder, since the holder goes forward relative to the shaft tube and the pencil lead, a front side of the pencil lead can be covered by the holder and damage to the pencil lead and the like can be prevented.
In addition, when a rearward compressing force along an axial direction is applied to the protruding pencil lead, since the chuck clipping the pencil lead moves backward against an urging force of the pencil lead urge member, damage to the pencil lead and the like can be further prevented.